Nonstop flight route between Samos Island, Greece and Fairbanks, Alaska, United States:

About this route:

A direct, nonstop flight between Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI), Samos Island, Greece and Eielson Air Force Base (EIL), Fairbanks, Alaska, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 5,357 miles (or 8,622 kilometers).

A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the large distance between Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" and Eielson Air Force Base, the route shown on this map most likely appears curved because of this reason.

Try it at home! Get a globe and tightly lay a string between Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" and Eielson Air Force Base. You'll see that it will travel the same route of the red line on this map!

Departure Airport Information:

Arrival Airport Information:

Facts about Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI):

• The closest airport to Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) is Ikaria Island National Airport (JIK), which is located 31 miles (50 kilometers) W of SMI.
• On 3 August 1989, Olympic Aviation Flight 545 crashed into Mount Kerkis while on approach to Samos Airport.
• Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) currently has only 1 runway.
• In addition to being known as "Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos"", another name for SMI is "Κρατικός Αερολιμένας Σάμου "Αρίσταρχος ο Σάμιος»".
• Because of Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos"'s relatively low elevation of 19 feet, planes can take off or land at Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
• The furthest airport from Samos International Airport "Aristarchos of Samos" (SMI) is Rurutu Airport (RUR), which is located 11,378 miles (18,310 kilometers) away in Rurutu, French Polynesia.

Facts about Eielson Air Force Base (EIL):

• The Air Defense Command deployed interceptors to Eielson during the 1960s.
• In addition to being known as "Eielson Air Force Base", another name for EIL is "Eielson AFB".
• A new chapter for the base began 1 October 1981 when the 343d Composite Wing replaced the 5010th as Eielson's host unit.
• The furthest airport from Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Port Elizabeth International Airport (PLZ), which is located 10,295 miles (16,568 kilometers) away in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
• A month later, contractors and civilian crews from Ladd Field started laying out the new airfield.
• The 58th Weather Squadron remained at Eielson until 8 August 1958.
• The closest airport to Eielson Air Force Base (EIL) is Ladd Army Airfield (FBK), which is located only 19 miles (31 kilometers) NW of EIL.
• Taken off deployment status in 2007 as a result of BRAC 2005, today the primary mission of the base is to support Red Flag-Alaska, a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises for U.S.